General Information: Soft-Lite made big news recently with the acquisition of the assets of Gorell Windows & Doors. Previously a Top 100 Manufacturer in its own right, Gorell entered receivership in February 2012 with Soft-Lite moving to acquire the assets shortly thereafter. The addition will expand Soft-Lite's product line and dealer base. Soft-Lite officials have not made a final decision whether it will continue to operate Gorell's Indiana, Pa. plant, but production continues there while the company officials assess their options. Founded in 1934, Soft-Lite continues to operate its own award-winning 200,000 square foot plant featuring advanced robotic manufacturing equipment, AAMA test lab and office facility. The company also has distribution centers in Baltimore, Md., and Charlotte, N.C. Executives point out that Soft-Lite is a debt free window and door manufacturer that continues to re-invest profits back into the business. In the past two years Soft-Lite has added three paint lines with superior curing stations, a second lamination line, automated packaging systems, and additional robotics to improve quality and increase capacity. It also has invested in customer programs, including training videos and materials, product literature, how-to pamphlets, sample kits, display samples and stands, signage, a continually updated website, and sales support. The manufacturer is also working with its customer base on services such as Improveit! 360 and GuildQuality to enhance their growth and profitability, officials note. In addition to supporting its dealer and distributor customer base, Soft-Lite continues to expand its turnkey installation service that enables the manufacturer to capitalize on new geographic market areas where dealers may not have adequate infrastructure to manage the logistics of installing numerous product lines after the initial sale. Recent product line expansion into fiberglass entry door systems, all welded storm doors, new woodgrain laminates, and new paint colors continues, with the company planning several new additions, including a maple woodgrain laminate, as well as a new sliding patio door line.